Striding out of the office, Air Groove felt an inexplicable irritation stirring in her chest.
The cold, sharp words she had just directed at Symboli Rudolf weren't out of petty spite—they were an unconscious reaction born of her growing impatience.
Lately, she couldn't shake the feeling that something within the student council had shifted.
Symboli Rudolf would occasionally huddle with Narita Brian, Mr. C.B., and sometimes Mejiro Ramonu, speaking in hushed tones about things Air Groove simply couldn't grasp.
That alone might have been tolerable.
What truly grated on Air Groove was how Symboli Rudolf had brought in an Uma Musume out of nowhere—appointing her as her personal secretary without any sort of evaluation or review.
And under such sudden, weighty responsibility, that chosen Uma Musume showed not a hint of being overwhelmed or flattered.
She didn't even ask why she had been selected, just accepted the role and began working alongside Symboli Rudolf with seamless, unsettling familiarity.
Yes, that Uma Musume was Shiragawa.
The mere thought of her made Air Groove's irritation flare up again.
As Symboli Rudolf's designated right hand, the universally acknowledged vice-president of the student council, Air Groove knew full well that the forum rumors about Symboli Rudolf were baseless.
Yet now, she couldn't help but wonder if there was a grain of truth to those whispers about the 'Night Emperor.'
How else could she explain all this?
An Uma Musume who had never appeared before, never shown any prior connection to Symboli Rudolf in Air Groove's sight, was acting so unusually.
Apart from the possibility that they had built a relationship well outside her view, Air Groove couldn't think of any other explanation.
Combined with those secretive conversations between Symboli Rudolf, Mr. C.B., and the others, Air Groove was plagued by the illusion that she had been quietly left behind.
This once-familiar student council office had somehow transformed into something foreign in the blink of an eye.
The thought made Air Groove's brow furrow tightly.
Truth be told, her earlier criticism of the president was also a reflection of herself.
Compared to Symboli Rudolf, Air Groove felt she was far more deserving of a prefix like 'incompetent'!
To just stand by, watching them whisper indecipherable secrets before her eyes, to watch helplessly as the student council morphed into something unfamiliar—what was that if not utter incompetence?!
Her pace quickened, nearly crossing the 'no running' line in the hallway, but she paid it no mind. To shed this label of incompetence, she had to act.
That was why she'd finished her paperwork early today.
Air Groove would use this time to utterly wash away the disgrace she felt!
Having stayed close to Symboli Rudolf, even accompanying her to the Hopeful Stakes, Air Groove might not have cracked the coded conversations among those Uma Musume yet, but she had already pinpointed the one linking them all—the one who had made the student council so strange.
Yes, it was that Uma Musume named Dream Weaver!
Ever since her name started popping up more and more in the conversations of Symboli Rudolf and the others, the atmosphere in the student council had grown increasingly odd.
As the saying goes, 'Whoever tied the bell must untie it.'
Rather than trying to pry information from those secretive Uma Musume, Air Groove chose to go straight to the source of it all.
Her steps were swift, and soon she reached her destination.
Staring at the wooden plaque hanging on the doorframe, Air Groove fixed her gaze on the jumble of titles, zeroing in on the most prominent line.
Kasamatsu Uma Musume Enthusiast Club.
It starts here.
As the student council vice-president, it was impossible for Air Groove not to know this group of Uma Musume who were constantly scheming to rename their club the 'Dream Weaver Fan Support Association.'
Moreover, Air Groove had done her homework.
The club's faculty advisor, Chizuru Haibara, had signed Dream Weaver as her charge. This was the most likely place to find her.
Without hesitation, Air Groove pushed the door open. Inside, a group of Uma Musume looked up, faces pale with panic, clearly caught in the midst of some secret endeavor.
Surveying the room filled—almost overflowing—with Uma Musume dolls of various sizes, Air Groove couldn't help but frown.
"Just what are you all doing?"
She certainly didn't recall the Kasamatsu Uma Musume Enthusiasts Club ever applying to be a handicrafts club.
Narrowing her eyes, Air Groove picked up a plush doll at random. Its slightly flattened face bore a striking resemblance to Dream Weaver's.
"This quantity... don't tell me this is just a hobby."
Nanno Sumire, who had been pushed to the front by the others, instinctively averted her gaze, tilting her head defiantly.
"Wh-what's strange about girls liking handicrafts?!"
Her stammering, her deliberately raised voice—every sign screamed nervousness.
Having reviewed countless club applications, Air Groove saw right through Nanno Sumire's bluff in an instant.
"If you come clean now, you might still get leniency. But if I find out anything later..."
Air Groove left the threat hanging, its implication clear to any Uma Musume present.
After a long, conflicted struggle, Nanno Sumire finally explained.
"These... are orders from the forum."
"Orders?"
"Seems like because of the Hopeful Stakes, Dream's popularity suddenly shot up. Besides us, a lot more Uma Musume have taken an interest in her."
Nanno Sumire paused here, then added through gritted teeth.
"It's all that girl's fault! She blabbed about us making dolls. Now a bunch of Uma Musume are chasing us down for Dream dolls, so we've had to work overtime!"
Air Groove found this utterly baffling.
"Couldn't you just not take the commissions?"
"Of course not!"
To her surprise, this provoked a united outcry from the Kasamatsu Uma Musume, including Nanno Sumire. They seemed even more agitated than when they were caught red-handed.
"They're all fans who love Dream! How could we dampen such pure enthusiasm? If we reject their doll requests, what if it affects their fondness for Dream herself?!"
Fans whose affection would be swayed by something like that are pretty strange to begin with...
Air Groove took a deep breath, barely suppressing the urge to voice that thought. But before she could fully compose herself, Nanno Sumire pressed on.
"Besides, these dolls might help them understand Dream's adorable points even better! As senior members of the fan support association, we absolutely cannot ignore our juniors' passion!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Air Groove pinched the flattened face of the Dream Weaver plush doll in her hand and said with a frown,
"I feel compelled to remind you..."
"The student council has never approved a name like 'fan support association'!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.